U.S. continues to violate Venezuela's democratic process

posted by Ass ole | 7pt
March 14, 2006

The People Defeated the anti-Venezuela Mack Resolution!

March 16, 2006

Following a massive outpouring of opposition, H. Con. Res. 328 (the Mack resolution) was withdrawn from the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs in the House Committee on International Relations. Due for a vote today, Rep. Mack (R-FL) and his supporters pulled the resolution before a vote could take place. Clearly, they felt that the resolution would now fail.

In recent weeks the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, VoteNoWar.org, the Venezuelan Information Office and others have campaigned against this resolution which paves the way for escalating U.S. intervention against Venezuela’s democratic process.

Yesterday more than 10,000 letters were sent to Congress in just a few hours after the last A.N.S.W.E.R./ VoteNoWar.org appeal. Everyone who participated should feel proud. We must intensify our solidarity with the majority of people in Venezuela -- the 80% who live in poverty -- who are mobilizing a many-sided campaign for social, economic and political justice. They face an ever increasing threat from the U.S. government which seeks to maintain the power of the Venezuelan oligarchy and tiny ultra-rich elites who have dominated the country.

Below is the initial call that ANSWER urgently put out on March 15, 2006.

We are urging all supporters and activists who have marched with the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition to take action today and tomorrow to show grassroots opposition to a pending resolution in Congress that, if passed, will escalate the efforts by U.S. imperialism to thwart the revolutionary democratic process underway in Venezuela.

We have made available our easy-to-use mechanism that allows you to instantly send an email communication to members of the House and Senatedemanding that they vote NO on H. Con Resolution 328. This is an act of solidarity with the 80% of Venezuela’s people who live in poverty and are struggling to carry out a profound social and economic transformation for the benefit of the people.

Join us in demanding that Congress reject the misleading and belligerent H.Con. Resolution 328, which condemns the Venezuelan democratic process. The resolution, which will be put before the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere on Thursday, March 16 recommends funding Venezuela’s so-called opposition, who are the politically defeated forces representing the ultra-rich elite. This resolution is in clear violation of Venezuela’s right to self-determination.

H. Con Resolution 328 is an act of disinformation. It is propaganda designed to serve as a pretext for U.S. intervention in Venezuela. Among its many inaccuracies and myths:

* The resolution suggests that the changes in the Venezuelan constitution were made by executive decree. In fact, the constitution was remade in a thoroughly democratic process involving all sectors of Venezuelan society.

* The resolution suggests that the August 2004 referendum was an effort by Chavez to stifle democracy. In fact, the referendum was triggered by a tiny elite made up of the old financial oligarchy and ruling class and it was thoroughly defeated by the majority of the Venezuelan people.

* The resolution suggests that the Venezuelan government has committed some crime by purchasing weapons. In fact, the Venezuelan people have the right to defend themselves and their democracy. The Venezuelan democratic process has already been violently subverted once in a U.S.-backed coup. The U.S. has the largest stockpile of weapons including nuclear weapons ever known to humanity, and has consistently threatened Venezuela.

* The resolution suggests that the recent Constitutional elections forced out pro-U.S. political parties. In fact, those so-called opposition forces, representing the old elites boycotted the election because they expected to be handily defeated. Every popular election has become an embarrassment to the U.S.-backed political forces.

Hugo Chávez was elected in 1998, and reelected in 2000. Basing his government on the aspirations of the 80 percent of Venezuelans who live in poverty, Chávez led the effort to rewrite the country’s constitution and reshape its political structures in a more democratic way. For the first time, ordinary Venezuelans had access to the political system under which they lived.

As the poor and working people try to bring about a new democratic Venezuela they are confronting more than just Venezuela's corporations and a reactionary middle class. U.S. imperialism itself is the most formidable "opposition." Washington has never respected an election or government it didn't control. Chávez's support from the people has been recorded in eight different referendums since first being elected president in 1998. In each of these challenges, he has received around 60 percent of the vote.

It is essential that we intensify the effort to stay the hand of the Bush Administration and Congress as they prepare to carry out “regime change” in Venezuela. The unfolding revolution in Venezuela, the recent election in Bolivia, the steadfastness of the Cuban people has helped spark a growing progressive shift throughout Latin America. This is a movement that represents the hope of the future.